Brunei’s sultan, who’s responsible for implementing the inhumane Shariah law, will benefit in a number of ways from the Trans-Pacific Partnership; NASA plans to put a greenhouse on Mars in just a few years; meanwhile, Peruvians have created billboards that clean the air and produce potable water. These discoveries and more after the jump.

At halftime during a basketball game Saturday, Mizzou students and spectators gave a rousing ovation to their star footballer Michael Sam, who is widely expected to become the first openly gay NFL player when he is inevitably drafted in May.

David Edwards at Raw Story quotes Mitt Romney on “Meet the Press” as saying, “But I think marriage should be defined in the way that it has been defined for several thousand years ... ” implying, by the Bible.

University of Missouri’s All-American defensive lineman Michael Sam is set to be picked in the early rounds of the National Football League’s May draft. But is the league, known for its “machismo and violence,” ready for an involuntary change in image?

A person can feel only sad, happy, afraid or angry, according to a recent study; a new video by Brigham Young University-Idaho warns about the “grave peril” that masturbation poses; meanwhile, Google is “setting itself up to own the 21st century.” These discoveries and more after the jump.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found an 11 percent rise in syphilis and a 4 percent increase in gonorrhea cases in 2012 in the U.S. But what does the XY chromosome have to do with these sexually transmitted diseases?

One of the world’s earliest computer geniuses, a British man whose work helped save humanity from fascism, was persecuted to death by the homophobic authorities of his era. This Christmas Eve, thanks to popular pressure and the authority of Queen Elizabeth II, justice to his memory has been served in the form of a royal pardon.

The United Kingdom’s Border Agency is demanding that people seeking asylum from prosecution in other countries due to their sexual preferences provide evidence of their homosexuality. Its line of questioning has led some to extremes just to ensure their own safety.

The Defense of Marriage Act has been ruled unconstitutional, but gay wedded couples are still not receiving spousal benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The denial comes as a result of Title 38 of the U.S. code regarding veterans benefits, which defines marriage as the union between members of the opposite sex and is independent of DOMA.

Rowan Williams, the former archbishop of Canterbury, says Christians in the U.S. and U.K. who claim they are being persecuted should “grow up” and not exaggerate the consequences of feeling “mildly uncomfortable” about living alongside others with different values.

Since Russia passed several draconian anti-gay laws, many human rights activists have criticized the 2014 Winter Olympics being held in Sochi. Now, the gay English actor Stephen Fry has written an open letter to U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, calling for a ban on those games in February.

The rapid evolution of attitudes toward gay marriage is a wonder to behold. On few issues has public opinion moved as quickly or decisively. Many who are against the formal recognition of homosexual unions are now resigned to the reality they will eventually become commonplace.